The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

Based on new interviews with nearly every Bond songwriter and composer, yielding fascinating and previously undiscovered details

Organized one film per chapter for easy reference, each chapter containing the full backstory of its music

Each chapter points out noteworthy musical sequences in the score in reader-friendly language

The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

Description

The story of the music that accompanies the cinematic adventures of Ian Fleming's intrepid Agent 007 is one of surprising real-life drama. In The Music of James Bond, author Jon Burlingame throws open studio and courtroom doors alike to reveal the full and extraordinary history of the sounds of James Bond, spicing the story with a wealth of fascinating and previously undisclosed tales.

Burlingame devotes a chapter to each Bond film, providing the backstory for the music (including a reader-friendly analysis of each score) from the last-minute creation of the now-famous "James Bond Theme" in Dr. No to John Barry's trend-setting early scores for such films as Goldfinger and Thunderball. We learn how synthesizers, disco and modern electronica techniques played a role in subsequent scores, and how composer David Arnold reinvented the Bond sound for the 1990s and beyond.

The book brims with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Burlingame examines the decades-long controversy over authorship of the Bond theme; how Frank Sinatra almost sang the title song for Moonraker; and how top artists like Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Duran Duran, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, and Madonna turned Bond songs into chart-topping hits. The author shares the untold stories of how Eric Clapton played guitar for Licence to Kill but saw his work shelved, and how Amy Winehouse very nearly co-wrote and sang the theme for Quantum of Solace.

New interviews with many Bond songwriters and composers, coupled with extensive research as well as fascinating and previously undiscovered details--temperamental artists, unexpected hits, and the convergence of great music and unforgettable imagery--make The Music of James Bond a must read for 007 buffs and all popular music fans. This paperback edition is brought up-to-date with a new chapter on Skyfall.

The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

Table of Contents

AcknowledgementsForewordIntroduction1. "... come watch for de moon ..." Dr. No2. "... but oh, you haunted me so ..." From Russia With Love3. "... the Midas touch -- a spider's touch..." Goldfinger4. "... he looks at this world and wants it all ..." Thunderball5. "... well, it takes my breath away ..." Casino Royale (1967)6. "... make one dream come true ..." You Only Live Twice7. "... we have all the time in the world ..." On Her Majesty's Secret Service8. "... touch it, stroke it and undress it ..." Diamonds Are Forever9. "... you gotta give the other fellow hell ..." Live and Let Die10. "... an assassin that's second to none ..." The Man With the Golden Gun11. "... nobody does it better ..." The Spy Who Loved Me12. "... that moonlight trail that leads to your side ..." Moonraker13. "... you see what no one else can see ..." For Your Eyes Only14. "... hold on tight, let the flight begin ..." Octopussy15. "... though I know there's danger there, I don't care ..." Never Say Never Again16. "... until we dance into the fire ..." A View to a Kill17. "... the living's in the way we die ... " The Living Daylights18. "... and you know I'm going straight for your heart ..." Licence to Kill19. "... time is not on your side ... " GoldenEye20. "... until the world falls away ..." Tomorrow Never Dies21. "... no point in living if you can't feel alive ..."The World Is Not Enough22. "... it's not my time to go ..." Die Another Day23. "... the coldest blood runs through my veins ..." Casino Royale (2006)24. "... a door left open, a woman walking by... "Quantum of Solace25. "...where worlds collide and days are dark..."Skyfalliv. Appendix 1: The Bond Soundtrack Albums v. Appendix 2: The Bond Songs That Never Werevi. Endnotesvii. Bibliographyviii. Index

The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

Author Information

Jon Burlingame is one of the nation's leading writers on the subject of music for film and television. He writes regularly for Daily Variety and teaches film-music history at the University of Southern California. His other work has included three previous books on film and TV music; articles for other publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TheWashington Post, and Premiere and Emmy magazines; and producing radio specials for Los Angeles classical station KUSC.

The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

Reviews and Awards

Honored with ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award

"When it comes to writing about film music, Jon Burlingame is the man with the Midas touch. Both casual fans and 007 aficionados should find this book to be enlightening, informative, and great fun to read." --Leonard Maltin

"Jon Burlingame has written an amazing behind-the-scenes dossier, revealing the personalities, the betrayals, the egos, the lawsuits, and the untold stories behind 007's hits and misses. Nobody does it better than Bond, and nobody knows Bond music better than Burlingame." --John Cork, co-author, James Bond, The Legacy

"A magnificent work. Not only has Mr. Burlingame assembled a meticulously researched history of the James Bond music, but, being an expert on musical scoring and composers, he offers a degree of music appreciation and insight that few possess. James Bond fans will devour this like Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon champagne." --Steven Jay Rubin, author of The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia

"Jon Burlingame provides the intriguing and often fascinating story behind the one heretofore neglected aspect of the James Bond phenomenon: the soundtracks and the incredibly talented people behind them. The Music of James Bond manages to be exhaustively researched, yet highly entertaining. Those of us who pride ourselves on being 007 scholars will be humbled by the wealth of new insights the author reveals. With this indispensable book, Burlingame reaffirms his status as one of the world's foremost experts on motion picture soundtracks." --Lee Pfeiffer, co-author, The Incredible World of 007 and The Essential Bond, and Editor-in-Chief, Cinema Retro Magazine

"Jon Burlingame has crafted an authoritative and uniquely informative volume--the definitive examination of a major contribution in the longevity of the James Bond film series. The Music of James Bond is packed with memorable quotes and a sprinkling of photographic gems."--Graham Rye, Editor & Publisher, 007 MAGAZINE

"At last, a worthy historical analysis of 007 that finally puts the music in the spotlight; often neglected and overlooked, John Barry's distinctive sound played a pivotal part in defining James Bond's screen persona. Jon Burlingame's incredibly detailed account successfully threads together the full story, and in doing so, reveals more twists and turns than an Ian Fleming novel. --Geoff Leonard and Pete Walker, co-authors, John Barry: The Man With the Midas Touch

"The Bond films bounce from one locale and storyline to another, with the music serving as our constant frame of reference. And so it probably deserves a biography unto itself: a snappy, efficient and gossip-heavy one such as The Music of James Bond by Jon Burlingame." -- Colin Fleming, The Washington Post

"The tunes and scores that have graced the 007 franchise finally get their due in this exhaustively researched and consistently fascinating chronicle." -- Neil Smith, Total Film

"THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND is an immensely readable and satisfyingly comprehensive study of an overlooked aspect to the Bond films' success. I couldn't put it down." -- Neil Shurley, Examiner.com

"[A] thorough and engaging account of the composers, singers, and lyricists who have contributed the stylistically eclectic scores and title songs for James Bond films over the past fifty years... For connoisseurs of Bond films and their scores, The Music of James Bond will likely become an indispensable part of their collection."-- Journal of the Society for American Music

The Music of James Bond

Jon Burlingame

From Our Blog

Today, 5 October, we celebrate James Bond Day, and this year has been a great one for 007. In January, both song and score for Skyfall won Grammys, and 18 September marked the 50th anniversary of the general release of the film Goldfinger in UK cinemas. Shirley Bassey's extraordinary rendition of the title song played a key role in its success.

Twenty-seven years ago, on 31 July 1987, James Bond returned to the screen in The Living Daylights, with Timothy Dalton as the new Bond. The film also has a notable departure in the style of music, as composer John Barry decided that the film needed a new sound to match this reinvented Bond, and his love interest -- a musician with dangerous ties. To celebrate the anniversary, here is a brief extract from The Music of James Bond by John Burlingame.